Loose leaf book



Feb. 11, 1936. O

J. SCHADE' 2,030,473

LOOSE LEAF BOOK Filed Feb. 12 1935 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Y (RH/v 56/704 01': fqiww We! ATTORNEYS Feb. 31, 11936. J. SCHADE 2,@3@,473

LOOSELEAF BOOK Filed Feb. 12, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jo/m/ 56/744 05 ATTORNEYS Feb. 111-, 193. J SCHADE' LOOSE LEAF BOOK FilBd Feb. 12, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR BY Ja/m 60 4 05 Wm? WM! ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT JOFFECE LOOSE LEAF BOOK Application February 12, 1935, Serial No. 6,221

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loose leaf books, particularly to ring binder construction.

As shown in my prior Patent 1,787,957, dated 5 January 6, 1931, a metallic loose leaf structure for ring binders has been made with a so-called booster mechanism operable by a finger lever for opening the binder rings and also for locking the rings in closed position so that the rings cannot be opened by opposite pulls directly on the ring halves.

My present invention relates to the same class as my prior patent but has many features of advantage which are disclosed by the accompanying drawings and following description.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the metallic loose leaf structure as it looks in a preferred finished form when fastened on the inside face of the back 20 panel of a book with the rings closed and locked by positioning the finger lever horizontally along the top surface of the cover plate;

Fig. 2 is a side view of that portion of Fig. 1 where the finger lever is located and showing the position of the lever when the rings are unlocked but before they are opened;

Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2 except that the finger lever is in the position it occupies when thrown back to open the rings of the book;

Fig. 4 is a top view and Fig. 5 an edge. view of the sheet metal finger lever;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sliding pivot pin for the finger lever;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a sheet metal plate to co-operate with the operation of the finger lever;

Fig. 8 is a top view of that portion of the ring binder cover plate above the position of the plate shown in Fig. '7, with the latter shown in place partly dotted;

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of that portion of the hook plates where the sliding pivot for the finger lever is mounted as it appears with the structure assembled;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of the assembled parts on the line IlJ-lfl of Fig. 1, but showing the lever in hook-open position; v

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view on the line Ill-l of Fig. 1 but showing the lever in hookclosed and unlocked position;

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view on line Hl-l0 of Fig. 1 but showing the hook-closed and locked position;

Fig. 13 is a section on line l 3-l 3 of Fig. 1 to indicate the relation of parts moved by my op- I erating mechanism shown by the other figures;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view showing a second species but with the booster lever element at one end, removed to show better a combination cap and bearing plate and a spring that secures such p;

Fig. 15 is a side View showing the position of the booster lever in locked and also in opened position of the rings;

Fig. 16 is a top view and Fig. 1'7 an end view of the combination bearing plate and end cap;

Fig. 18 is a detail section on line |8l8 of Fig. 14, but with the booster lever and pivot pin included; and

Fig. 19 is a bottom view showing the manner in which the eye of the booster lever and the pivot pin engage the open end slot of the hook plates.

Before considering the features that are new I will refer to the ordinary parts of a metallic loose leaf structure or ring binder indicated in Fig. 13 and tell how my new mechanism is to operate the old. Referring to that figure, the spring cover plate I has down-turned flanges 2 in which the hook plates 3 are mounted. The adjacent edges of the two hook plates form a movable pivot line or axis 4, as in a toggle, and the outer edges bearing in flanges 2 are the other points of the toggle. It is customary to rivet the ,cover plate I to a back plate or the back panel of the book. In some well-known constructions the spring back plate instead of the cover plate has the flanges to engage the outside edges of the hook plates, and the top plate is merely a cover. In either case it is understood in these constructions that when axis 4 is moved above or below the plane between their outer bearing edges with flanges 2 the binder hooks are opened or closed, as the case may be. In these well known constructions the ordinary way is to pull and push the hooks open and closed with the fingers, and the hooks will move their hook plates on which they are fastened to one or the other of their toggle positions. While there is a toggle action, the mounting of the plates 3 has enough spring play so that there is no toggle lock that will prevent a mere pull or push on the hooks moving the toggle to one or another of its positions.

My improvements are fitted to work with such prior art construction so as to operate the toggle action of the hook plates through a leverage apart from the rings and to do this in a better way than it has been done before.

In its preferred form the finger lever B is located between sets of rings in the book; it has a fulcrum at the cover plate. Its upper arm may lie horizontally, fiat against the cover plate and out of the way, when the rings are closed. Its lower arm is pivotally connected to the hook plates so as to raise and lower the plates in their toggle movements.

In the species of my invention shown in Fig. 1, I place the booster lever 6 between two sets of rings 5. The lever may be shaped as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 which show a single stamping of sheet metal. It is in the form of a bell crank lever having a long arm 6, a short arm 6', and an eye terminal 1. The latter forms a bearing for the pivot pin 8, Fig. 6. Notches 9 in the ends of pin 8 straddle adjacent edges of hook plates 3, Figs. 13 and 9, in a notch If! cut in the hook plates to permit movement of lever arm 6' and its eye 1 to slide pin 8 in the working of the booster lever B, as will be described.

It is customary to make the cover or spring plate in metallic loose leaf structure of rather thin stock so as to have enough spring for its function. Such stock may not be rigid enough for my purpose of having the booster lever bear on its thin edge at line H, Figs. 1 and 10, at the end of the opening where I desire to provide a fulcrum for working the lever 6. To avoid possible trouble and wear at this opening I provide a wear plate l 2 secured to the under face of plate i, seen best in Fig. 12. An opening is will overlap opening IS in the spring plate i and present a hard edge IS on which lever 6 may fulcrum. A tongue I4 in plate [2 registers with a positioning slot in plate I. With this construction wear plate I2 is laminated on the under side of spring platel. But the latter may be made of special and stiffer stock if desired to avoid the laminated element. I find the latter a convenient means to permit me to use customary stock for the spring plate I.

The lever 6 has notches I8 adapted to straddle somewhat loosely the sides of the hole l3 in plate l2, Fig. '7. The lever may be assembled with plate [2 diagonally through hole l3 and then turned for correct position. Then these two parts are assembled with plate I with long arm 6 extent.- ing through from the bottom. Pin 8 is centered in eye I of lever 8. The notches 9 of pin 8 receive the edges of hook plates 3, Fig. 9, as the latter are assembled to lie in the spring or cover plate I, Fig. 9 and Fig. 13.

Referring now to Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive, the following operation will be clear. With the long arm of lever 6 in the vertical position of Fig. 10, the sliding pivot pin 3 is tucked up close to cover plate I as possible. In this position the adjacent edges of hook plates 3 will be elevated so that axis 4, Fig. 13, will be above the plane connecting the outer ends of hook plates 3. In this position of Fig. 10, the hook plate spring-held toggle will lie with rings 5 in open position instead of closed, as in Fig. 13. By moving lever 6 to the position of Fig. 11 the hook plates 3 will be moved to the condition shown in Fig. 13. The rings will be closed but with lever 6 as shown in Fig. 11 there is nothing to prevent opening the rings 5 by direct pull on their half sections. In other Words, the rings are not locked in closed position with lever S as shown in Fig. 11.

To look the rings, lever 8 is pushed down from its position of Fig. 11 to that of Figs. 12 and 13. In this action pivot pin 8 is moved to the opposite side of the lever fulcrum It from the side it occupied in Fig. 11. In the new position the hook plates are locked. If one tries to move them by pulling on the rings the tendency is to force pivot pin 8 up toward cover plate I and that tends to move the long arm 5 down against the top of the cover plate. The parts will spring a little but the rings will not open.

The sliding pivotal connection between hook plates 3 and lever 6 is an important feature of the combination. It helps reduce the mecha nism to the simple form shown where the one lever, with two pivotal connections, one fixed and one slidable, is operable to open, close, and lock the rings. This makes an improved mechanism for the operations desired from the booster addition to the loose leaf structure.

In the species above described there is an ad'- vantage in locating the booster mechanism intermediate the ends as shown. This leaves the ends of the loose leaf structure with the usual simple booster lever between the sheets of the book. I 1

have provided a second species to take care of this contingency and the different classes of users can then have their choice. Those following the manufacturers plan for loading the rings with paper should prefer the species already described, 1.

since the booster mechanism fits into the book structure with the best final book appearance. Those who do not find that species convenient because they overload the book will probably prefer the species shown in Figs. 14 through 19.

In this species the loose leaf structure is generally the same, consisting of hook plates 20, hooks 2|, and a spring plate 22, which may be the cover plate or back plate. In this showing the spring plate 22 is the cover plate. The booster lever 23 is made the same way as before, except that there is a different angle between the long and short arms so that when the rings are in locked position the long arm stands substantially vertical and parallel to the end edges of the pages in the closed book where it is out of the way. And when the rings are in open position the long arm stands horizontal, as shown by dotted position 32 of Fig. 15, and parallel with the cover plate.

To mount this structure, I provide an open end slot 24 in the hook plates to receive the eye 25 on the short arm of the booster lever. The pivot pin 26 in this eye straddles the edges of the slot. The booster lever has its fulcrum bearing on the edge of a wear plate 21. The latter is made in the form of an end cap which slides onto the end portion of the loose leaf structure. A thin leaf spring piece 28 riveted to the cover plate is adapted to lie in the same plane as the top of the cap and interfit with a cut-out portion of the cap as shown. By slightly lifting this flat spring with a pin through a hole 29 in the cover plate 22 the cap 21 can be put in position or removed. When the spring is lowered it will engage the opposed notches in the capwith its shoulders 3!! and hold it firmly in place. Lever arm 3! of the booster fulcrums against the edge of the cap metal to take the strain of operation.

With a booster mechanism at only one end of the structure the rings can be opened, closed. and

CJI

locked, according to the movement of the booster lever. This operation puts the major operating strain at the end of the loose leaf structure. The customary structure has enough spring play that the ring remote from the booster end will not be as securely looked as the ring adjacent the booster. The remote one can by pulling on its halves be sprung a considerable distance into open position; the intermediate ring a less distance; but the ring close to the booster not at all. Even with the remote ring pulled open quite a bit, all its movement is resisted by a strong spring action of the cover plate and hook plates. The instant the remote ring is released the spring action of the parts acts to close it tightly. But in a larger book than the one indicated with more rings or a longer metallic structure, it may be desirable to put a booster lever such as shown in this species at each end of the binder. My invention contemplates this double booster structure. I have not shown the booster at both ends because the second one would be preferably a mere duplicate of the one shown in detail.

Having disclosed my improvements broadly and in two species, I claim:

1. A ring binder having in combination toggle connected hook plates, a spring plate to hold the hook plates, an operating lever for the hook plates, said lever having two pivots one on the hook plates and one on the spring plate, the connection with the lever by one of said pivots being slidable enough to position the lever with respect to its pivots so as to lock the hook plates in closed position.

2. A ring binder having in combination toggle connected hook plates and a spring plate in which the hook plates are mounted, a lever pivoted to the hook plates and operable to move them to or from open or closed hook position, said lever being pivoted also to said spring plate, one of the two said pivoted connections being slidable enough to position the lever with respect to its pivots so as to lock the hook plates in closed position.

3. A ring binder comprising toggle connected hook plates with hooks forming rings, a cover plate to hold the hook plates and having an opening between its ends and a fulcrum at the opening in combination with an opening lever slidably mounted on the hook plates and having a finger piece extending through the opening in the cover plate between its ends, said lever bearing on the fulcrum at the cover plate opening to operate on the toggle connected hook plates.

4. A ring binder of the type having toggle connected hook plates and a spring plate to hold the hook plates and an operating lever for the hook plates, a slidable pivot-means between the lever and hook plates and a fixed lever fulcrum on the spring plate, said lever being shaped to move the hook plates to open and closed position by movement on its fulcrum and to shift said slidable pivot means after the hook plates are in closed position to place the lever in position to lock the hook plates in closed position.

5. A ring binder having in combination toggle connected hook plates carrying spaced hooks and a cover plate, an opener mechanism comprising a bell crank lever with its short arm under the cover plate and its long arm passing through an opening in the cover plate between the spaced hooks and fulcrumed on the cover plate opening, a sliding pivotal connection at the end of the short arm with adjacent edges of the hook plates, said lever being movable to one position for moving the hook plates to open position, to another position for moving said plates to closed position, and to a third position in which the hook plates are kept in closed position until the lever is moved from said third position.

6. The structure of claim 5 characterized by a substantially parallel position of the long arm of the lever with the cover plate in said third position.

'7 In a ring binder of the kind described having a cover plate, toggle connected hook plates and a booster mechanism, a metal cap slidable on the cover plate to hide the ends of said hook plates, means to fasten said cap in place, and an operating lever for said booster mechanism fulcrumed on the said metal of said cap and extending through the upper wall of said cap.

8. In 'a ring binder a pair of toggle connected hook plates which together have a narrow longitudinal slot, a booster lever having an eye-formed terminal portion adapted to ride in said slot, an H-shaped pivot pin slidably engaged with both sides of said slot and mounted transversely in said eye, the booster lever extending from said eye portion upwardly, a cover plate having fulcrum means for said lever, the latter extending as a single operating lever above the cover plate for movement to operate said hook plates.

9, The structure of claim 8 in combination with an end closure cap for the plates having an open-- ing in the top side through which the booster lever operates.

JOHN SCHADE. 

